MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. The United States does not understand the essence of the conflict in Donbass, and if it did, it would side with Russia, former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq Scott Ritter said in an interview with TASS.

"The United States does not have a deep understanding of the Donbass conflict, not at all. If we did, we would not be doing what we are doing. Because if we had a deep understanding of the Donbass conflict, we would be on the side of Russia," he said.

According to him, there is an inherited policy in the United States that downplays Russia’s importance in the eyes of American politicians. "Sadly, when Donbass citizens of die because of the actions of the Ukrainian government, no one in the United States cares. Russian life has been cheap. We just forget about it. We support Ukrainians. So, you can’t speak of a deep understanding," he added.

"What we have is a political problem, where Ukraine has become inconvenient," Ritter concluded.